Mark and Tracy Fischer won permission Wednesday from the Porter Board of
Zoning Appeals to build a 40-foot by 64-foot pole barn thatís larger than
their home at 1124 W. Beam St.

Vote was 4-1. Henry Huyser dissented saying the petitioners could build a
30-foot by 60-foot building under the ordinance, and no hardship was
demonstrated requiring the larger size. Mark Fischer said he has a lot to
store. ďI donít see how it could be any more injurious than any other (pole)
building in the neighborhood.Ē

The couple had sought a second variance because they wanted to keep an
existing 12-foot by 16-foot shed on the 0.75-acre lot. Attached garages are
considered an accessory structure under Porterís zoning code, and only two
such structures are allowed.

BZA member Ken Timm questioned why attached garages are treated that way.
Town planner Jim Mandon said so anyone with a garage is treated the same.

BZA member Bill Sexton said other neighbors in the Beam Street area were
required to deal with their sheds for an oversize pole barn; a compromise
was struck that Fischer move and attach the shed and its 192 square feet to
the pole barn for a total 2,752 square feet allowed.

Fischer said he did not plan to use the shed for any commercial purpose, but
that was not made a condition of the approval. No one commented during a
public hearing.

The BZA began with a preliminary hearing for Robin and Janet Scribailo, who
seek a setback variance needed to build a 21-foot by 8-foot addition on the
front of their 1555 Coleman St. home. An existing deck would be removed. The
addition would improve curb appeal, expand the living room and create a
separate entryway for energy efficiency, Robin Scribailo explained.

A public hearing was set for May 15.

At the Porter Plan Commission meeting, which began 45 minutes late due to
the length of the BZA, the subdivision of a 1-acre lot into two
approximately equal parcels at 401 Waverly Rd. was approved for Richard and
Amy Collins. Tim Reisinger of Total Development Construction presented the
petition.

No one commented during a public hearing; vote was 6-0 with member Elka
Nelson absent. Lot access will be off Ackerman Drive, not Waverly. Mandon
said the lots satisfy the requirements of the subdivision code.